Method and apparatus for securing property from wind damage

ABSTRACT

A series of screw-type anchors are set around the periphery of the structure. The anchors are set below the ground surface and enclosed in recess pots to provide access, helping to keep soil from covering the anchors. When a storm is predicted, a plurality of straps are passed over the roof and hooked into the anchors. The straps have a ratchet at one end to tighten the straps and provide tension to the roof. Gutter guards are optionally provided to protect a gutter from damaged by the straps. Ridge vent guards are also optionally provided to protect a ridge vent from damage by the straps. Recess pot covers are provided to reduce the chances of tripping.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to the field of protecting roofs ofbuildings to prevent damage during storms and more particularly to amethod and apparatus for securing an roof of a building to prevent orreduce damage during a severe storm such as a hurricane.

2. Description of the Related Art

Many, hold-down systems have been designed to prevent or reduce damageto structures occurring during severe storms such as hurricanes andtornadoes. The art has many examples of ways to protect buildingstructures with roofs during severe storms, including U.S. Pat. No.5,570,545, “Apparatus for Holding a Roof on a Building during HighWinds,” to Adams, which is hereby incorporated by reference. This patentdescribes a system of straps that are passed across a roof of astructure then tensioned to anchors. Unfortunately, the disclosedinvention does not provide for quick deployment when a storm isforecasted and safe removal after the storm passes. Furthermore, thepatent does not provide for roofs with gutter systems in that theapplication of the patent could cause damage to the gutters.Furthermore, the patent does not provide for ridge vents, which areoften made from soft aluminum; which could also be damaged.

What is needed is a method and apparatus that will tie down a roof of astructure without damaging associated gutters and ridge vents and can beeasily installed and uninstalled.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one embodiment, a system for securing a structure is disclosedincluding anchors having an eve at one end installed around theperiphery of the structure and set below ground level in recess pots.Also included are straps with hooks affixed to one end and ratchetsaffixed to the opposite end. The ratchets have a second hook on a distalend. The hooks and the second hooks are adapted to be removably attachedto one of the eyes of the anchors. Removable covers are provided tocover the recess pots when not in use.

In another embodiment, a method of protecting a structure is disclosedincluding digging a plurality of holes around the periphery of thestructure and screwing anchors into each of the holes so that an eye ofthe anchors is set below ground level. Next, inserting a recess pot intoeach of the holes and covering each of the recess pots with a cover. Atleast one feature protection device such as a gutter guard or ridge ventguard is provided for installation at a later time.

In another embodiment, an apparatus for protecting a structure isdisclosed with anchors around the periphery of the structure set belowground level in recess pots. Straps with hooks at one end and tighteningmechanisms at the opposite end are included to pass over the structureand hold it in place during a storm. The straps have tightening and thesecond hooks are adapted to be removably attached to the eyes of theanchors. At least one feature protection device is included to protectthe gutters and/or ridge vents of the structure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention can be best understood by those having ordinary skill inthe art by reference to the following detailed description whenconsidered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of the prior art

FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of a first embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 3 illustrates a detail view of the anchor of all embodiments of thepresent invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective view of a second embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 5 illustrates a detail view of a gutter extension of the secondembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 illustrates a perspective view of a third embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 7 illustrates a detail view of a ridge vent guard of the thirdembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 illustrates a perspective view of all embodiments of the presentinvention when not in use.

FIG. 9 illustrates the flow of installation and deployment of allembodiments of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Reference will now be made in detail to the presently preferredembodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in theaccompanying drawings. Throughout the following detailed description,the same reference numerals refer to the same elements in all figures.Although a house with a simple roof structure is described as thestructure being protected, the present invention performs equally aswell on many building structures, even those with complex roof surfacesand the like.

Referring to FIG. 1, a perspective view of the prior art is shown. Theroof 110 of a structure 100 is held down by a plurality of spaced straps120. The straps are attached to anchors 140 that are screwed into thesoil at the periphery of the structure 100. Ratchets 130 are provided totighten the straps and provide adequate tension. The prior art does notprovide for a removable system with anchors that are recessed to reducethe tripping hazard and the prior art does not provide for protectinggutters and roof vents from damage when the straps are placed andtightened. The prior art does not include a device to protect typicalfeatures that are found on various structures such as roof ridge ventsor gutters.

Referring to FIG. 2, a perspective view of the apparatus of a firstembodiment of the present invention is shown. A plurality of straps 10pass over the roof 5 of a structure 4. Preferably, the straps 10 aremade from a sturdy material as known in the industry, for examplepolypropylene, polyester or nylon; and are of sufficient width to holdthe roof 5 in place during hurricane force winds, for example 2 incheswide polypropylene straps. One end of each strap 10 is removablyattached to an anchor 18 using a J-hook 14 or other type of hook thatallows removal from the anchor when desired. The other end of each strap10 is attached to a ratchet 12 such as a come-along ratchet 12. Theother end of the ratchet 12 is removable attached to another anchor 18using another hook 14, for example, a J-hook. The ratchet 12 is onepossible means to tension the strap 10 and other means to tighten thestraps 10 are known in the art.

Each anchor 18 is an auger-type anchor having a spiral 19 for insertioninto the ground by twisting the anchor 18. Each anchor 18 has an eye 15(FIG. 3) that is recessed below the ground level and within a recess pot16 that keeps the soil from covering the anchor 18 while reducing therisk of tripping over the anchor when the system is not deployed.

Referring to FIG. 3, a detail view of the anchor of all embodiments ofthe present invention is shown. The strap 10 is attached to a hook 14,for example a J-hook. The hook catches in an eye 15 of the anchor 18.The anchor 18 is set within a recess pot 16 so that, when the system ofthe present invention is dismantled, the anchors 18 sit below groundlevel as to help reduce the potential for tripping.

Referring to FIG. 4, a perspective view of a second embodiment of thepresent invention is shown. This embodiment has many of the samefeatures of the first embodiment of FIG. structure 4. In thisembodiment, the structure 4 has gutters 6 at the edge of the roof 5. Ifthe straps 10 were attached as in FIG. 2, the tension of the straps 10would damage the gutters 6. To prevent this, a feature protection devicesuch as a gutter guard is installed to protect the gutter. Each strap 10has a gutter guard 20 to prevent the strap from damaging the gutter 6.More details of the gutter guard 20 are shown in FIG. 5.

One end of each strap 10 is removably attached to an anchor 18 using aJ-hook 14 or other type of hook that allows removal from the anchor whendesired. The other end of each strap 10 is attached to a first end of aratchet 12 such as a come-along ratchet 12. The other end of the ratchet12 is removably attached to another anchor 18 using another hook 14, forexample, a J-hook.

Each anchor 18 has a spiral 19 for insertion into the ground by twistingthe anchor 18. Each anchor 18 is recessed far enough into the groundsuch that the attachment end of the anchor sits just below the groundlevel and within a recess pot 16, keeping the soil from covering theanchor 18.

Referring to FIG. 5, a detail view of a gutter guard of the secondembodiment of the present invention is shown. The gutter guard 20 has abase 21 that is a flat piece of sturdy material such as wood or plastic.In a preferred embodiment, the base 21 is made from plastic deckingmaterial, usually available in 1×6 or 2×6 configurations and preferably3′ to 40 in length. The strap 10 passes over the base 21, which extendsfar enough beyond the roof 5 edge, so that the strap 10 is preventedfrom damaging the gutter 6. In some embodiments, brackets 22 withfasteners 24 hold the strap 10 in place on the gutter guard 20.

Referring to FIG. 6, a perspective view of a third embodiment of thepresent invention is shown. This embodiment has many of the samefeatures of the first embodiment of FIG. 2. A plurality of straps 10pass over the roof 5 of a structure 4. In this embodiment, the structure4 has ridge vents 8 at the peak of the roof 5. If the straps 10 wereattached as in FIG. 2, the tension of the straps 10 would damage theridge vents 8. To prevent this, another feature protection device calleda ridge vent guard is used. Each strap 10 has a ridge vent guard 30 toprevent the strap from damaging the ridge vent 8. More details of theridge vent guard 30 are shown in FIG. 7.

One end of each strap 10 is removably attached to an anchor 18 using aJ-hook 14 or other type of hook that allows removal from the anchor whendesired. The other end of each strap 10 is attached to a first end of aratchet such as a come-along ratchet 12. The other end of the ratchet 12is removably attached to another anchor 18 using another hook 14, forexample, a J-hook.

Each anchor 18 has a spiral 19 for insertion into the ground by twistingthe anchor 18. Each anchor 18 is installed far enough into the groundsuch that the attachment end of the anchor sits just below the groundlevel and within a recess pot 16, keeping the soil from covering theanchor 18.

Referring to FIG. 7, a detail view of a ridge vent guard of the thirdembodiment of the present invention is shown. The ridge vent guard 30sits on the roof 5 and holds the strap 10 away from the ridge vent 8,protecting it from being damaged by the strap 10. In this embodiment,the ridge vent guard is triangular in shape, comprising a base member 30c resting on the roof surface, a riser member 30 a and a longer member30 b, providing structural strength when the strap 10 is tensioned.Also, in this embodiment, a cross member 30 d is provided to space theindividual ridge vent guards 30 and hold them in position while thestraps 10 are being installed and tensioned. In some embodiments, thereare no cross members 30 d and the ridge vent guards 30 standindependently.

Referring to FIG. 8, a perspective view of all embodiments of thepresent invention is shown. In this, the strap system of the previousembodiments is removed, perhaps during a season when there is littlechance of storms or when no storms are predicted. The straps 10, theridge vent guards 30 (if any) and the gutter guards 20 (if any) havebeen removed from the roof 5 of the structure 4 and are in storage. Theanchors 18 with anchor spirals 19 are not removed, but to reduce apotential tripping hazard, the recess pots 16 are covered with covers17, covering the anchors 18 and providing a relatively smooth surface,similar to sprinkler control boxes.

Referring to FIG. 9, a flow chart of installation of the presentinvention is shown. In general, the footings are installed at any time,and then when a storm is predicted, the straps, optional gutter guardsand optional ridge vent guards are deployed. To start, holes are dug 200in the periphery of holes, deep enough so that the eye of the anchor isbelow ground level. Next, the recess pots are inserted 220 into theholes and covers are placed 230 on the pots to reduce the potential fortripping.

When a storm is predicted, the straps are run 300 over the roof of thestructure. If there are gutters 310, gutter guards are installed 320 onthe straps to prevent damage to the gutters. If there are roof vents330, roof vent guards are installed 340 and the straps are passed overthe roof vent guards to prevent damage to the roof vents. Next, thestraps and ratchets are attached 350 to the eyes of the anchors and thestraps are tightened 360 using the ratchets.

Equivalent elements can be substituted for the ones set forth above suchthat they perform in substantially the same manner in substantially thesame way for achieving substantially the same result.

Although the guard systems are described as separate embodiments, it isnot intended to be limited in any way, such that depending upon thestructure being protected, the protection system of the first embodimentstands alone or in another It is believed that the system and method ofthe present invention and many of its attendant advantages will beunderstood by the foregoing description. It is also believed that itwill be apparent that various changes may be made in the form,construction and arrangement of the components thereof without departingfrom the scope and spirit of the invention or without sacrificing all ofits material advantages. The form herein before described being merelyexemplary and explanatory embodiment thereof. It is the intention of thefollowing claims to encompass and include such changes. What is claimedis:

1. A system for securing a structure, the system comprising: a pluralityof anchors around a periphery of the structure, the plurality of anchorsset below a ground level on which the structure rests, an eye of theplurality of anchors set in recess pots, the recess pots havingremovable covers; a plurality of straps, each of the plurality of strapshaving a hook affixed to one end and each of the plurality of straps andhaving a ratchet affixed to an opposite end, the ratchet having a secondhook on a distal end, the hooks and the second hooks adapted to beremovably attached to one of the eyes; and at least one featureprotection device.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality ofstraps is made of a material selected from the group consisting ofpolypropylene, polyester and nylon.
 3. The system of claim 1, whereinthe at least one feature protection device comprises a plurality ofgutter guards, each of the gutter guards having a plurality of bracketsadapted to hold one of the plurality of straps and each of the gutterguards adapted to extend beyond a roof of the structure to protect agutter of the structure.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the at leastone feature protection device comprises a plurality of ridge ventguards, each of the ridge vent guards adapted to elevate one of theplurality of straps beyond a ridge vent on a roof of the structure toprotect the ridge vent from being damaged by the plurality of straps. 5.The system of claim 4, wherein two or more of the ridge vent guards arecouple to each other by a cross member.
 6. The system of claim 1,wherein the ratchet is a come-along ratchet.
 7. A method for protectinga structure, the method comprising: digging a plurality of holes arounda periphery of the structure; screwing an anchor into each of the holeswhereas an eye of the anchor is set below ground level; inserting arecess pot into each of the plurality of holes; covering each of therecess pots with a cover; and providing at least one feature protectiondevice.
 8. The method of claim 7, further comprising: when a storm ispredicted: running a plurality of straps over a roof of the structure,each of the plurality of straps having a hook affixed to one end andeach of the plurality of straps and having a ratchet affixed to anopposite end, the ratchet having a second hook on a distal end, thehooks and the second hooks adapted to be removably attached to one ofthe eyes of plurality of anchors; attaching each of the hooks and secondhooks to one of the anchors; installing the at least one featureprotection device; and tightening the ratchets thereby tensioning theplurality of straps to hold the roof in place during the storm.
 9. Themethod of claim 7, wherein the at least one feature protection device isat least one gutter guard for preventing damage to a gutter of thestructure.
 10. The method of claim 7, wherein the at least one featureprotection device is at least one roof vent guard for preventing damageto a roof vent of the structure.
 11. The method of claim 7, wherein theplurality of straps is made of a material selected from the groupconsisting of polypropylene, polyester and nylon.
 12. An apparatus forprotecting a roof of a building comprising: an anchor means installedaround a periphery of the structure and an eye of the anchor means isset below a ground level on which the structure rests, the anchor meansincluding recess pots to provided continued access to the eye; a strapmeans having a hook means affixed to one end and a tightening meansaffixed to an opposite end, the tightening means having a second hookmeans on a distal end, the hook means and the second hook means adaptedto be removably attached to the anchor means; and a feature protectionmeans.
 13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the strap means comprisesa plurality of straps made of a material selected from the groupconsisting of polypropylene, polyester and nylon.
 14. The apparatus ofclaim 12, wherein the feature protection means comprises a plurality ofgutter guards each having a plurality of brackets adapted to hold one ofthe plurality of straps and each of the plurality of gutter guardsadapted to extend beyond an edge of the roof to protect a gutter of thestructure.
 15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the feature protectionmeans comprises at least one ridge vent guard adapted to elevate atleast one of the plurality of straps beyond a ridge vent on the roof toprotect the ridge vent from being damaged by the at least one of theplurality of straps.
 16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein two or moreof the ridge vent guards are couple to each other by a cross member. 17.The apparatus of claim 14, wherein each of the plurality of gutter guardmeans comprises a section of decking material.
 18. The apparatus ofclaim 17, wherein the section of decking material is at least 3 feet inlength.
 19. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising a cover meansto removably cover the recess pots.
 20. The apparatus of claim 12,wherein the tightening means is a come-along ratchet.